Downtown Frankfort, Inc.

Downtown Frankfort, Inc. and Kentucky Capital Development Corporation have partnered to host idea-sharing events for businesses and professionals to discuss issues they foresee & ideas they have about re-opening - or remaining open - during the current pandemic. Areas of focus will include retailers, food/drink businesses, professional offices, public buildings, realtors, and tourism related businesses. We will continue posting these very informative videos as they become available!

Over the weekend the Governor made some changes to the existing Minimum Requirements for All Businesses to reopen. The health and temperature screenings were a large part of our conversations last week during our webinars and there have been changes to better clarify how that should work. The changes are listed below, and you can see the entire Healthy at Work Minimum Requirements HERE.

3. Enforce social distancing:Entities must ensure, to the greatest extent practicable, that employees who are not able to telework and must be physically present at the office remain a minimum of six (6) feet away from all other employees and customers unless closer interaction is absolutely required to perform their job duties (e.g., health care examinations).

5. Universal masks and any other necessary PPE:Universal Employee Masks: Businesses, organizations, and entities must ensure, to the greatest extent practicable, that their employees, volunteers, and contractors wear a cloth mask (a surgical or N95 mask is not required). A business, organization, or entity need not require an employee/volunteer/contractor to wear a mask when masking would create a serious health or safety hazard to the employee/volunteer/contractor, when the employee/volunteer/contractor is working alone in an enclosed space, or when the employee/volunteer/contractor is working alone in an area with more than six (6) feet of social distancing. Businesses and organizations shall provide PPE at no cost to employees and should offer instruction on proper use of masks and PPE. CDC guidelines on proper use of PPE can be found HERE.Encourage Customers to Mask: Entities should encourage customers to wear masks, which the entities may provide. Entities may refuse to serve any customer who is not wearing a mask.Access to Gloves: Entities must ensure that employees whose job duties include touching items often touched by others (e.g., credit cards/cash, paper, computers) wear gloves that are regularly replaced. Entities should also follow the applicable CDC, OSHA, or other federal guidelines relating to gloves.

9. Conduct daily temperature & health checks: Entities must require employees to undergo daily temperature and health checks; these checks may be either self-administered or administered by the entities prior to workplace entry. Self-administered temperature and health checks may performed at home. Employees who have a fever and/or any symptoms of COVID-19 should be directed to their health care provider to be tested and then instructed to quarantine at home as soon as any illness is detected. This includes employees that passed a temperature and health check prior to reporting to work but became ill during the course of the day. Guidance on COVID-19 symptoms and how to conduct temperature and health checks can be found in the Health and Temperature Screening sections below.

10. Create a testing plan: Entities must ensure that any employee with COVID-19 symptoms is tested by a health care provider for COVID-19 within 36 hours. Entities must ensure that employees are trained on how to isolate individuals with suspected or confirmed COVID19 and how to report possible cases. If an employee tests positive, the entities must immediately notify the local public health department.

14. Contact Notification Responsibilities: Entities opened must be prepared to assist public health officials if an employee test positive or becomes exposed to COVID-19. This assistance includes, but is not limited to, providing the employee’s work schedule, workstation, hours or shifts worked, when the employee was potentially exposed, and the names and contact information of any other employee or other party exposed to the virus.

Health ScreeningsAll businesses must assess employees each day to ensure that they do not have any COVID-19 symptoms. Businesses may choose whether to require: 1) an in-person assessment at the beginning of each day, or 2) a self-screening that the employee conducts at least once every 24 hours and then reports the results to the business.Any in-person assessment or self-screening must answer the following questions:

Have you had any of the CDC-recognized COVID-19 symptoms since your last day at work or the last time you were here? Please answer “Yes” or “No” to each question. Employers should then list the CDC-recognized COVID-19 symptoms and have the employee respond to each symptom with a “Yes” or “No.” The current CDC-recognized COVID-19 symptoms are available HERE. (These symptoms are sometimes updated or supplemented, so employers should be sure to check this website regularly and update their assessment in line with CDC guidance.)

Is there anyone in your household who is showing COVID-19 symptoms or who has been diagnosed with COVID-19?

Have you been in close contact with anyone exhibiting sign or symptoms of fever, persistent cough, or shortness of breath consistent with COVID-19 who has not been tested or is still awaiting testing?

Temperature ScreeningsAll businesses must assess employees each day to ensure they do not have a fever. Businesses may choose whether to require: 1) on-site temperature screenings, or 2) self-screenings conducted by the employees at home at least once every 24 hours, ideally just before going to work, and reported to the employer prior to beginning work. Employees with a fever above 100.4° should not report to work. If the business opts for on-site temperature screenings, businesses should ensure that proper social distancing can still be followed. This may be accomplished by using no-contact thermometers or thermal imaging cameras. If that equipment is unavailable, it may be accomplished by setting up temperature check stations for employees to self- administer standard oral / aural thermometer checks and then report the results to on- site screeners. If standard oral / aural thermometers are used, they should be thoroughly sanitized after each use.

During this very difficult time, we encourage EVERYONE to shop local in any way possible. We need to support our local, small businesses now more than ever! Order take-out or delivery from restaurants and visit your favorite retailers’ websites to shop on-line. These are unprecedented times and we need to support our local community businesses to help get everyone through this.

As businesses throughout Frankfort, the Commonwealth and the country continue to shutter their doors in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, many, especially small business owners, are left to wonder how they might survive this quarantine period. There are a number of possible plans of action and available assistance from a variety of organizations. The Frankfort Area Chamber of Commerce has an abundance of information on companies hiring in the area. The Bluegrass Area Development District is another great resource on hiring and unemployment benefits.

For information on the COVID-19 situation in Frankfort and Franklin County, please refer to the Frankfort-Franklin County Office of Emergency Management’s website. They will provide official updates, closings, and community resources at frankfortema.org

DFI submitted to the Frankfort City Manager suggestions for forward movement on Downtown Master Plan implementation. The Frankfort City Commission will determine which projects to implement. If you have ideas or suggestions for the implementation of future projects, please submit them in writing to the DFI Board of Directors for consideration.

We are deeply honored that the City of Frankfort has recently tasked Downtown Frankfort, Inc. (DFI) with the responsibility for implementation of the Downtown Master Plan. Once we are current on the status of projects already in motion, we will submit to the City Commission our recommendations for forward movement. The City Commission will select priority projects, which will be funded with the $150,000 the City budgeted to begin the process of implementation.

You may recall that in 2018, CityVisions guided Frankfort/Franklin County in a master planning process that included an extensive community engagement initiative. Over 4,000 residents interested in the future health and vitality of our town participated in public meetings and presentations, focus groups and on- line feedback. The process resulted in comments regarding citizens' aspirations, their concerns, likes and dislikes and specific recommendations for improvements to the entire downtown area.

While implementation of the entire plan is certainly a long-term goal, we believe that there are some projects that will be easier to implement. We have begun meeting with City staff to determine what those projects are, as they relate to current staff time and City resources.

Of course, more funding will be required to continue this important transformational work. DFI and City grants staff will continue working with DC Strategies, a Washington based consulting group, to research additional funding sources. If you are interested in a particular project included in the plan, please contact us at info@downtownfrankfort.com. Or, if you are aware of other funding sources that could stretch municipal dollars, we welcome your input.

It took a village to come together and help create this plan, and we need our entire community to continue working together to dream a better dream for Frankfort.

There’s “A New Spirit Infusing Downtown Frankfort.” The Capital Plaza redevelopment, a renewed focus on our two riverfronts, and the growth of bourbon tourism, has created a momentum that can clearly be felt in downtown!​It presents new opportunities to optimize these assets in ways that maximize Frankfort’s sense of place, increases its economic activity, and celebrates and reinforces its character.